Perhaps many people think that Mazda is not so "old", but 2020 is indeed the100th year of its establishment.
In May last year, Changan Mazda, Mazda's only joint venture company with R&D production, suppliers and sales capabilities outside Japan, announced the replacement of coach. Since the independent operation of Changan Mazda in August, 20 12, the position of its president has changed three times, but all of them are held by the Japanese side. Moreover, since the first president Matsuo Zehong put forward the strategy of "boutique car", this basic concept has never wavered, no matter how the executives change.
This is Mazda.
Not only that, but in the communication between Mazda Nakajima, the new president of Changan, and the media, he once again emphasized several key points:
Differentiated competition, value marketing, and taking the personalized route of fine products;
Never provide household models like other Japanese brands;
Never use an extended body to cater to mass users;
It will enhance its positioning, but it does not mean becoming a high-priced luxury brand;
For lasting design and technology, you can do whatever it takes.
Under the guidance of such a strategy, what Mazda does next, even if it seems incredible, is completely understandable. However, the "willfulness" of the brand is always based on healthy and sustainable development. Why does Mazda have the confidence to be its own "small and beautiful"?
Mazda passed on 20 19.
In 20 19, the sales volume of Mazda's two joint ventures in China decreased 18. 1 1%, and the market share was 1.07%, down 0.1/percentage point year-on-year.
But in fact, considering Mazda's imperfect coverage of market segments and the unique positioning of a single model, it is not easy to have such performance under the premise of the overall pressure on the market.
No matter in which market segment, Mazda has never had an advantage in the space that China people value very much. On the contrary, it emphasizes its efforts in driving control. At the same time, Mazda is still polishing the combination of naturally aspirated engine and 6AT, comparing all-round turbine competing products.
In terms of sales structure, Angkor Sela accounts for 44% of Mazda, CX-4, Artz and CX-5 account for 22%, 65,438+08% and 65,438+05% respectively, and CX-8' s seven-seat SUV market has solidified, accounting for less than 65,438+0%.
It is worth mentioning that, according to the public interview of Changan Mazda executives at last year's Guangzhou Auto Show, the order of the new generation Angkewei Sierra 2.0L is about 70%, only about 65,438+00% higher than that of the old Angkewei Sierra 2.0L.. The most popular model is the sub-top model with the guide price of 654.38+053.9 thousand yuan, which confirms the trend of customer base plate upward and consumption upgrading.
From this point of view, Mazda has withstood the pressure of the decline of the automobile market and adhered to the pursuit of "operating and serving specific users" on the premise that its scale and positioning are not "mass".
Strategically, scale is not the only goal, at the same time, there is still a very high voice in the workshop. Mazda seems to be accumulating "black technology" again. However, this time it is not a rotary engine of "traditional artistic energy", but a more incredible technology.
Not just "Japanese BMW"?
If we look back at Mazda's new car release in the past 10, it is not difficult to find an interesting phenomenon-Mazda's concept car is not "conceptual" at all.
Starting from the release of Takeri concept car on 20 1 1, Mazda released 8 concept cars on 201-2017 * *, of which 6 models were put into production within one year, and the design of concept cars was highly consistent with that of production cars. For this reason, three mass-produced concept cars have caused many speculations.
Among the three concept cars, except RX-VISION, which symbolizes the flagship rotary engine sports car, the other two are coupes with rear-drive structure. This is not the first time Mazda has set foot in the rear-drive architecture. Mazda 929 30 years ago was Mazda's "swan song" in the field of rear-drive vehicles.
There are two reasons to prove that Mazda is turning this rear-drive concept car into reality.
First of all, in the financial report in March last year, Mazda mentioned that it would further expand its product line in the medium and long term, broaden the price range of products through brand-new powertrain and vehicle series, and do a good job of "brand up".
Another stronger evidence is that Mazda's patent application materials have an in-line six-cylinder engine and a vertical 8AT.
If Mazda introduces a rear-wheel drive model, the biggest question is, how to position this model? Is it the next generation of mazda 6? Or refer to the naming method of Mazda 929 to launch a higher-level "Mazda 9"? Even if the next generation of mazda 6 adopts rear drive, we need not be surprised. This is not only the result of Mazda's consistent style, but also the potential support of its partner Toyota.
At present, Toyota and Mazda have cross-shareholdings, and the two sides also have a lot of technical cooperation. If Toyota focuses on manufacturing household models, then the task of developing high-standard models can be handed over to Mazda. If Mazda develops a rear-drive platform, it can use the next-generation Toyota Crown/Lexus GS/IS and other rear-drive models.
Is gasoline compression ignition really "reliable"?
If the rear-drive Mazda is still a variable thing, then the SKYACTIV-X gasoline compression-ignition engine that has been installed on the Japanese version of the new Angkor Vesela is Mazda's most talked about technology at present.
Four years ago, Mazda, the "father of the blue sky", saw Guangfu PPT's speech on "hanging" small-displacement turbocharged engines and electric vehicles, which gave people a bright feeling. In fact, Mazda has always believed that internal combustion engines can improve the efficiency to the average level of carbon dioxide emissions of electric vehicles. SKYACTIV-X gasoline compression ignition engine is the result of this persistence.
SKYACTIV-X engine has ultra-high compression ratio (18: 1), lean combustion (air-fuel ratio is 36.8: 1), Spark plug controlled compression ignition (SPCCI, Spark? Controlled? Compression? The core idea is to improve the air-fuel ratio by learning from the compression ignition mode of diesel engine, so as to realize the switching between ignition and compression ignition, inherit the advantages of gasoline engine with good power expansibility and good exhaust purification, and combine the characteristics of diesel engine with high fuel efficiency, fast response and large torque.
According to the official data of Mazda, the same displacement is 2.0L Compared with the current SKYACTIV-X engine, the maximum power of SKYACTIV-X engine is increased by 2 1%, the maximum torque is increased by 20%, and the fuel economy is improved by more than 20%.
However, since the technical advantage is so obvious, why didn't Mazda carry it when the new Angkor Vesela went on the market? There are several potential problems:
First of all, the compression ignition state requires higher temperature, especially the low-temperature starting performance of compression ignition engines is not as good as that of gasoline engines. Secondly, SKYACTIV-X is essentially a kind of "mechanical supercharging" to improve the air intake, which is potentially different from ordinary engines in terms of use requirements and maintenance costs. Then, due to the ultra-high compression ratio, detonation and NVH performance are also the focus of attention. Finally, it is natural that the most discussed domestic oil quality can be adapted.
Obviously, only when these potential problems are properly solved can we see this truly "black technology" engine on Mazda cars in China.
No new car for two years, Mazda is a "big move"?
At the brand's centennial celebration, Mazda reported that it would not release new models or replace existing models in the next two years. In fact, this only means that Mazda has begun to exert its strength in its "backward areas". The so-called "backward areas" are electric vehicles, autonomous driving, intelligent networking and enjoyment that Mazda once "despised".
In recent years, Mazda has been seeking partners in various fields to expand cooperation in the field of "new four modernizations". Mazda's overseas electric partner is cross-shareholding Toyota, and the two parties will jointly develop the car networking system. In China, Mazda is considering developing and importing pure electric vehicles unique to China together with Changan Automobile. At the same time, Mazda also cooperates with chain retailers and travel service providers to share the platform with operating vehicles. Even Mazda has invested in Monet, an autonomous travel service company, to test autonomous driving technology.
Therefore, Mazda, which has a history of 100 years, is not as rigid as everyone thinks. He is trying to seek transformation. Although Mazda can't be rolled out in multiple battlefields at the same time because of its size and volume, this does not prevent it from always implementing the brand essence of ZOOM-ZOOM, creating a very interesting driving experience for consumers and gaining the love and recognition of those users.
As a car enthusiast, we are grateful to Mazda in this era and look forward to what surprises Mazda will bring us two years later.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.